Since the announcement of the Joyland movie being banned in the country just before its release, many social media users and actors have come forward in support of the film and criticized the ban.
The Twitterati not only slammed the government for supporting the ban but also questioned authorities about where was it when the movie got the green signal for theatre release back in August.
Joyland which was slated to release on November 18, follows a tabooed theme featuring trans woman and a man falling in love.
The issue of banning the movie was first raised by famous designer Maria B. urging all her followers to boycott the movie because ‘it shows an extramarital affair between two men but also encourages gender transition surgery’.
Read more: Here’s why authorities banned Cannes-winner movie ‘Joyland’
The internationally acclaimed film Joyland is all set to release in Pakistan on November 18. The film is surrounded by controversies and people are speculating that it will promote homosexuality in Pakistan.
Now many social media users have come forward and condemned the Pakistani authorities’ act of banning the movie and requested to release the movie be released and let people decide whether they should watch it or not.
It has now become a norm in our country to ban, disown, discard, disallow, disregard, destroy the best of best in merit, science, art, creativity, skill, talent, intelligence & intellect. Why are we so afraid of capability & so obsessed with mediocrity? #joyland #ReleaseJoyland
— Nida Fatima Zaidi (@NidaFatimaZaidi) November 13, 2022
I wanna watch the film which has received a standing ovation at every film festival in World! We deserve good stories & good cinema #ReleaseJoyland pic.twitter.com/QLvmUk5uN5
— Aan Cheema (@aanasifcheema) November 12, 2022
Just found out that Joyland isn’t being released in Pakistan—a film that has been winning high praise from international audiences. Our decision makers are still treating Pakistani audiences like children, depriving us of art & culture under the guise of morality. #ReleaseJoyland pic.twitter.com/XYul2M2qth
— Nida Kirmani (@NidaKirmani) November 13, 2022
I love that our moral brigade didn’t find a full bodied Punjabi man, smoking up scorpion dust and keeping sex slaves chained to his bed, ‘socially and morally offensive’, but the word ‘trans’ puts their knickers in a twist. #ReleaseJoyland #letcinemabreath
— AHI (@aamnaisani) November 13, 2022
PEMRA never taken any action on hate speech and miss information being spread in national tv but they ban joyland, being khuwajasara person I feel so oppressed and helpless. #ReleaseJoyland https://t.co/k62ZNYeo4c
— Shahzadi Rai (@ShahzadiRai) November 14, 2022
Not embracing diverse stories shows our fear to acknowledge our own reality that we are a diverse society where different beliefs, cultures, experiences and struggles exist. Art speaks to the audience, and we are too afraid to have a conversation. #ReleaseJoyland
— M. Jibran Nasir ???????? (@MJibranNasir) November 13, 2022
I genuinely don’t understand how is it ok for all these uncles to approve movies w item numbers, drinking and all the other haram shit but not ok to show khwajasirra as humans with feelings. Jisko nahe dekhni movie na dekhe, ghar bethe. #ReleaseJoyland pic.twitter.com/DdoftQAi9V
— AAC (@wajib_ul_qatl) November 13, 2022
The people of Pakistan had no problem with the release of ‘Kundi Na Kharka’ neither its item songs. That did not threaten Maria B’s family values neither did it offend Pakistani Censor Board’s moral values but a film like Joyland does. Hmm. #ReleaseJoyland pic.twitter.com/xHj4kVTGBC
— Shyraa Roy (@shyraaroy) November 13, 2022
The only agenda #Joyland has is to portray honest, human, Pakistani stories. Just because we close our eyes doesn’t mean something’s not there; Pakistan is smarter than that and its citizens deserve thoughtful, challenging cinema. #ReleaseJoyland pic.twitter.com/RYKRl4E0Zo
— Maggie Briggs (@magsbriggs) November 13, 2022
We’ve seen this happen before. With Shoaib Mansoor’s ‘Verna’, with Sarmad Khoosat’s ‘Zindagi Tamasha’ and others. If you don’t even trust your own censor boards (despite their own arbitrary rules and powers), why even have them? @Marriyum_A @sherryrehman #ReleaseJoyland
— Hasan Zaidi (@hyzaidi) November 14, 2022
